Caregiver Program

Elder Caregiver Support Program This program provides assistance to informal caregivers – spouses, adult children, other family members, friends and neighbors, in their efforts to care for an older person who needs help with everyday tasks. This can include certain aspect of personal care, such as, bathing, dressing, and grooming, as well as, housekeeping, errands, grocery shopping, providing meals, transportation, home repairs, financial support, emotional support and companionship. Because of the assistance received, this older person with chronic illnesses or disabilities is able to remain in their home, instead of being placed in residential facility.

Available services include:

Individual Counseling to determine needs, to solve problems encountered by the caregiver and to find measures to cope with the stress of caregiving. Referrals are made to programs, services and resources available to assist.

Education/Training: Periodic in-services on communication skills, caring for yourself, and Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias are a few of the topics covered.

Respite Services: Respite temporarily relieves caregivers from their responsibilities by providing a short-term break. This is done by placing an aide in the home a few hours per week to help with the care or by temporarily placing the care receiver in a nursing home so the care giver can take a vacation, tend to medical issues of their own, etc.

Caregivers Resource Library: Books, videos/DVD’s, pamphlets, and articles related to caregiving, as well as age-related diseases, are available at OFA, the Montour Falls Library & Watkins Glen Library to offer easy access to a wide-variety of materials.

Information, assistance and referral services are also available to grandparents and other older relatives caring for their grandchildren and other relative children due to a variety of circumstances. These caregivers often face unique issues such as financial hardships, isolation from their peers, the need for legal advice, and other types of services to create a safe and healthy home environment.